Tuomy Hills Service Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Tuomy Hills Service Station
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 2460 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1928 |
| Architect | Fry & Kasurin; Paul Kasurin |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000240 |
| Added to NRHP | March 24, 2000 |
The Tuomy Hills Service Station is a cool old building in Ann Arbor, Michigan. You can find it at 2460 Washtenaw Avenue. This building is special because it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical place that should be protected. It was added to this list in the year 2000.
Building History
Cornelius, also known as "Bill," and Kathryn Tuomy were a brother and sister. Their family had lived in the Ann Arbor area for a long time. They worked in the real estate business. This means they bought, sold, and developed land and buildings. They helped create the Tuomy Hills neighborhood in Ann Arbor.
In 1928, a new road called Stadium Boulevard was built. The Tuomys thought that the spot where Stadium Boulevard met Washtenaw Avenue would be a great place for a gas station. They hired two architects from Ann Arbor, Lynn Fry and Paul Kasurin, to design the building. Some people also say the architect was Frank Carson, who won a famous art prize in 1925.
The Standard Oil Company leased the gas station. They even made a copy of it to show at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago!
When Bill Tuomy passed away in 1966, Standard Oil bought the station. They continued to run it until 1988. After that, the building was closed up for a while.
In 1999, the station was fixed up and used as an ATM branch for University Bank. Then, in 2005, a coffee shop called Bearclaw Coffee Co. moved in. It's still a coffee shop there today!
What the Building Looks Like
The Tuomy Hills Service Station is a one-story building. Its style is often described as looking like an old Irish gatehouse or an English gatekeeper's cottage. The walls are very strong. They are made of eight inches of brick with eight inches of stone on the outside.
The building sits on a thick concrete base. Its roof is made of slate, which is a type of stone. The station also has two special covered entrances called porte-cochères. These are like drive-through areas where cars could pull up under a roof. Each of these entrances is held up by strong pillars made of hand-cut oak wood.
